With endless opportunities for world-class Smallmouth bass fishing in Ontario this autumn, you can easily refine your catch-rates next time on the water by following these simple gear options.
Any respectable Bass angler understands that when it comes to some of the most exciting opportunities to catch big Smallmouth Bass each year, few times of the season can compete with the thrills you will encounter during the autumn months.
That being said, this annual period of big Bass opportunities in Ontario is a double-edged sword; the same changing conditions that are driving Bass to feast on various forage species are the very same that will lead to the end of our open-water fishing here in the Northlands, so we have a very limited window of opportunity to target life-time trophy smallmouth bass. In the Ottawa Valley, for example, the time frame is really for just a few short weeks.
The main factor of this “double-edged sword” bass opportunity is that the weather, as rapidly as it is changing, presents a constantly changing variable for bass anglers and we have to master the windows available within the shortened Fall season. Skilled anglers know that certain days will trigger the entire food chain, only to see some of the hottest fishing of the year instantly shut down due to the northern cold fronts we are known for in Ontario.
These constraints, which are well out of the control of any angler, are not the focus of our discussion here. Rather, we are here to better inform you how to maximize the limited opportunities we have on the water in Ontario for Smallmouth Bass in the Fall months, and what better way to do that than by stream-lining your gear for your next outing so that you are fully prepared to successfully hunt some of the biggest Smallmouth Bass you can catch in North America when conditions are just right for some Bronzeback mayhem.
In the Ottawa Valley, where many rivers make for exciting Smallmouth hunting, we have to consider that while the species we are after are constantly on the move, many river-dwelling bass are a species of predicable nature! This means we don’t need to out-think the fish, rather we just have to think LIKE them, and position ourselves for success. Thinking like them means understanding their habitat and food preferences on the body of water we are on, and matching our tactics to best capitalize on those preferences.
Once we understand these preferences and how to capitalize on them, the first step to gear up for success when you are hunting Ottawa Valley Smallmouth is to not over-do it. You do not need 5 rod/reel combos to have success. In fact, you will only need 2 rods, 3 at most, in order to have the most success possible in the September and October months for Ontario Smallmouth Bass.
Let’s look at our primary gear selection by breaking down our tactics and techniques we will employ for late-season trophy Bronzebacks.
Top-Water
Anyone who knows this author will tell you – “that is a man who loves his top-water bass angling”. Yes, I have to admit this bias up front with you. However, what I can further tell you is that the reason I have come to love top-water action for Ottawa Valley Smallmouth (and bass in general across Ontario) is that it has been largely responsible for some the largest bass I have taken out of these waters over the last several years.
In the fall, a Smallmouth’s love for a “Spook” styled walking bait, a popper or even a gigantic buzz-bait with a loud clacker and big trailer bait like a buzz frog can absolutely limit you out in short time as well as put you into some truly gorgeous trophy situations. Recently, while fishing the Upper Duck Island portion of the Ottawa River in the early evening, it was amazing how Smallmouth were reacting to the Top-water baits that were being presented. A Strike King Sexy Dawg and a Rebel Pop-R in colorations designed to mimic bait-fish were the ticket to numerous acrobatic strikes by Smallmouth ranging in size from 1 to 5 pounds. This can be your basic expectation on the Ottawa River when you are fishing for Smallmouth this autumn. Walking the dog at a fairly brisk pace, combined with slowly popping the Rebel should tell you whether the bass want the bait presented at a slower or more rapid cadence.
If you happen to notice that the Smallies are hitting your walking bait at a brisk pace, I would highly suggest tying on a Buzz-bait with a frog trailer (such as the Strike King Rage Toad in white colour to resemble a wounded bait-fish) and buzzing it quickly across the flats or other areas where you have been bit already on your top-waters, because schooling smallmouth will think this is a large wounded prey-fish and you will be surprised at the larger smallmouth that will attack your big Buzz-bait quite viciously. Of course, it must be mentioned that any angler utilizing such tactics on the Ottawa River may see his or her top-water bait engulfed by a world-class Musky or Pike as well. You just never know on the Mighty Ottawa.
Due to the possibility of giant Smallmouth in the 5+ pound range, and the various toothy apex predators like Musky that you can encounter, it is vital your top-water gear is refined to maximize your efforts. Consider a 7-foot medium-heavy powered bait-cast rod as the bare minimum needed, and keep in mind that many anglers will use 7’6” heavy rods when throwing bigger top-waters with large 50+ – inch musky possibly biting them instead of the targeted bass.
In the case of this Author’s exploits, a 7’9” St. Croix Avid telescopic Heavy power and moderate action rod is the main workhorse when it comes to tossing big top-waters in the Ottawa Valley. This rod is paired up with a Shimano Chronarch Ci4+ (7:1:1) and 50 pound PowerPro Maxxquattro line. When throwing a top-water on braided line, the author uses a 14 pound monofilament leader to provide some flexibility in the line when you are handling large Smallmouth closer to the boat, as Ottawa Valley Smallies are well-known for their ceaseless fighting spirit which can cause hooks to pull out of bass’ mouths due to the lack of stretch with braided line.
Do not be afraid to utilize your top-water setup as your main search-bait. You will often find the pay-off for such a decision to be well worthwhile.
Reader’s Tip: Using your top-water as a search-bait can pay off with big dividends for Autumn Smallmouth. On bodies of water such as the Ottawa River, you can focus your efforts on the flats off the main channel, and along the shorelines where reeds, rocks and timber line the food highway that Bass use for feeding. If the bass are hitting your bait at a rapid cadence, try a buzz-bait with a larger trailer to try and up-size the fish that are hitting your lure. To further maximize your chances at taking a true trophy Ontario Bronzeback, make sure to use colours associated with local bait-fish, which will be the primary forage species most Smallmouth are feasting on during this seasonal period. When in doubt, use a white or black trailer – there is no need to over-complicate things.
“The Jig & Pig”
There is no need to over-think trophy Smallmouth fishing in Ontario. Many of the “usual suspects” in terms of techniques will catch fish if presented properly, and there is no other bait that is as multi-faceted and as well-known for catching large Smallmouth than the famous Jig and Pig. In the Ottawa valley, throwing such a bait means you are likely using a crawfish trailer. Berkley, Strike King, Jackall and Yum! all make very good craw baits, and you are likely going to want to throw these on minimum ½ oz. jigs, with my preference being ¾ oz. swim baits or football jigs with weed guards, in the September and October period. Gear-wise, make it easier on yourself with a 7 foot medium-heavy bait-cast rod and a minimum 6:4:1 gear ratio reel along with either braid or fluorocarbon line to ensure both sensitivity and power are available to you while using this technique.
Personally, I choose to use a Shimano Crucial 7-foot medium-heavy bait-casting rod along with a Shimano Chronarch reel (6:4:1 gear ratio) and 30-pound PowerPro Slick braided line, while employing an 18 to 24 inch 12 pound fluorocarbon leader. Again, this leader offers protection in case of a predator fish taking the Jig, which can result in your braided line being sheared by teeth and thus losing a good Jig as well as not landing a fish.
An outing on the Rideau River in late September stood out as a showcase for this technique and gear choice. Throwing a ½ oz. Strike King Structure Jig with a Rage Craw over rocks and timber meant braided line would be chewed in no time, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the power and sensitivity of the braid. Using the fluorocarbon leader in this case not only helped protect me against bite-offs from Pike, it meant saving my lure from the rocky bottoms where Smallmouth were found hugging tight to boulders for protection from predators and current. The medium heavy rod allowed for easy handling and tireless effort at making short pitches and flips to the frontal zone of rocks and ledge drop-offs, which were used to coax fussy Bass into rising out of their protected zones to swipe at the passing Jig. The key is to allow your bait to drift through the strike zone at a natural pace induced by the river current. The braided mainline allowed for soft-biting Smallmouth taking the bait on the drift to first be sensed, and then to be strongly and squarely hooked, while the leader material provided additional sensitivity on the drift where braid’s limpness can cause you to sometimes miss initial bites, as well as protection against line-fray resulting in breakage or the hook pulling out from lack of stretch on the braid, both leading to a higher landing rate. These tactics can be used to take trophy Smallmouth anywhere you find this species, current, and rocks and other structure.
The advantage that a standard “Jig and Pig” offers Smallmouth Bass anglers is the multi-faceted ability to use the bait as a search lure or to go” low and slow” for super-fussy bass. It can cover every inch of the water column, meaning you can alter your tactics not only cast to cast, but reel to reel, as you can allow the Jig to drift through currents or fall on a slack line through the strike zone for longer periods. The resemblance to a craw or baitfish, such as a bluegill or a perch, also makes this bait not just a tremendous search bait but also a true Trophy-hunting bait as this is exactly what your targeted species are eating at this time of year across all of Ontario and in fact right across North America.
Stick-Baits
Have you ever used a weightless senko-styled worm to catch a Smallmouth bass? Realistically, there are very few Bass anglers in North America who have NOT caught a bass using this method by now. I’m here to tell you that you can and should strongly implement the use of soft-plastic senko-styled baits including worms, minnow/fluke baits, jumbo and other similar styles during the fall period, especially on Northern lakes and rivers.
As a follow-up bait, its strength is from the slow descent through the water column that gives bass ample time to inhale your bait after missing your initial offering. A slow descent can often mean increased catch percentages late into the season as feeding fish are enticed beyond control to hit a falling stick-bait resembling a dying minnow in the water, which is the primary food source on many waterways at this time of year. As that bait slowly falls through the water column, it is extremely difficult for a bass to resist its predatory instincts to rush your stick-bait and engulf it – it is simply in its nature to do so.
Not only does this bait represent one of the single best “follow-up” baits you can throw at a Bass if you initially miss a top-water or jig strike on a faster cadence, it also represents one of the best SEARCH baits you can use.
Simply use a weighted weedless wacky jig head, such as the Gamakatsu or Owner Wacky Jig Heads, to get your stick-bait to fall through the strike zone a bit faster, and saturate the casting zone with fan casts in every direction allowing your bait to fall, a few twitches and pulls, then back to the boat for another cast. This technique, used on flats, on ledges, in current around rocks and other cover, or thrown in follow-up to a missed strike from a fish will certainly result in more bites for you this fall season as you hunt trophy Smallies.
The author recently utilized the 1/8 oz. Gamakatsu Wacky jig head rigged with 4 inch Yum! Dingers in the baby bass colour, with 15 pound PowerPro braided line and 12 pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader material for Rideau River and Ottawa River Smallmouth. The line was spooled onto a Shimano Stradic Ci4+ spinning reel and paired with a 7’2” Shimano Compre Worm and Jig rod. Long casts were employed to cover locations to ensure Smallmouth were not spooked, and the braided line was essential to ensure hook-up percentages stayed high from hook-sets at 15-20 yards or more. The key to this set-up, as much as the Shimano package gives me strength and sensitivity, really comes down to the braided line and the super-sticky Gamakatsu hooks, which were hammered through the roof of each Smallie’s top lip upon landing at boat side. Simply put, these bass were not getting away once the hook was set due to the superior power/sensitivity of the hook and line combination.
Wrapping it Up: Keys for Success
Not only have we discussed the necessary gear and how to streamline for success, we’ve presented you with different scenarios where you can try these techniques and tactics out on your own body of water.
Although not every region is fortunate enough to be home to world-class waters like we have in Ontario, it should be noted that Smallmouth and other species of bass can be found in such an abundance of waters that realistically you can have a shot at a trophy bass no matter where you are in North America, if you do some diligent research first.
When it comes to Ontario Smallmouth fishing in the autumn, by gearing down to three basic options and utilizing each one for your specific situation, you will find that the refinements offered here will become staples in your annual hunt for big Bronzebacks each September and October for years to come.
Top-water, Jig & Pigs and stick-bait styled lures will all pay off with big dividends, especially if you get out and cover a lot of water with these tactics paired up with the gear options laid out above. Pay attention to your surroundings, get out during peak times and when the weather has been sufficiently good enough to charge up the food-chain, and you may just find yourself battling a trophy-size Ontario Smallmouth Bass this fall season.